Wife, Son Among Four Arrested In Belagavi Man’s Murder Over Land Dispute

Belagavi: Four persons, including the wife and son of a 50-year-old man, have been arrested in connection with his murder in Hirenandihalli village of Kittur taluk in Karnataka's Belagavi district, police said on Thursday. The arrested accused have been identified as Kasturi Koti (42), wife of the deceased Kalmesh Koti; their son Kiran Koti (25); Mallesh Ambannavar (32) of Hirenandihalli village; and his friend Mudukappa Kolekar (30).

Kalmesh Koti’s decomposed body was found in a maize field on the outskirts of Hirenandihalli village on February 20. Due to the condition of the body, identification was initially difficult. The Kittur police registered a case and later identified the deceased.

The police investigation has revealed that the deceased's wife carried out the murder for her husband's property. The police officials said that a total of four accused, including the wife and son, have been arrested in the case.

According to Belagavi Superintendent of Police K Ramarajan, Kalmesh and Kasturi had been living separately for the past 12 years due to marital discord. Kasturi was residing at her mother’s house in Tarlaghatta village in Kundagol taluk.

Police said Kasturi had taken a loan of Rs 9 lakh from accused Mallesh Ambannavar around five years ago for her daughter’s marriage. The loan was reportedly secured by mortgaging three acres of ancestral land belonging to Kalmesh. Mallesh had allegedly been pressuring Kasturi over non-registration of the land and non-repayment of the loan.

During questioning, police said Kasturi allegedly informed Mallesh that Kalmesh would visit Hirenandihalli village for a fair on February 15 and suggested that if he was killed, the land would come in her name, enabling her to repay the loan.

According to police, on the night of February 16, Mallesh and Mudukappa allegedly took Kalmesh to a farm on the pretext of hosting a party. After consuming alcohol, they allegedly strangled him with a rope and later dumped the body in another person’s field to avoid suspicion.

Police said the accused initially pretended to have no knowledge of the incident. However, following the investigation, all four were arrested. Further probe is underway.

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